Sports B Red Devil softball squad drops doubhleaders — B4 Allen baseball drops pair to Independence — B4
The Iola Register
Monday, April 1, 2013
GUSTIN HOLDS OFF CROWD AT KING OF AMERICA III By RICHARD LUKEN
a spot in the “A” main feature — before his engine went kaput midway through the 20-lap qualifier. Chanute’s John Allen had an eventful weekend. He took second in a last chance race to make, then 10th in a “C” main feature to secure a spot at the rear of the “B” feature. He worked his way into the top 12 — which also would have qualified him for the main event — before exiting a few laps from the finish.
richard@iolaregister.com
HUMBOLDT — It took Ryan Gustin about 25 laps to take the lead for good Saturday night at Humboldt Speedway. For the next 75 laps, the Marshalltown, Iowa, product held off all charges — including a thrilling pass attempt by runner-up Chris Brown with three laps remaining — to claim the third annual USMTS King of America trophy in front of a packed speedway crowd. The win capped a scintillating weekend that frequently was threatened by nasty weather — storms were reported north and east of the speedway all day Saturday — but still came off without a hitch. Coming through unscathed was Gustin, who started on the outside of the second row of the 100-lap feature, and kept pole sitter Terry Phillips within range throughout. Phillips led the first 25 laps before encountering lapped traffic, allowing Gustin an opening. Gustin powered inside down the final turn to take the lead for the first time. Phillips stayed virtually even over the next six laps before Gustin secured the lead for good. Phillips stayed within a car length or two for an extended period, occasionally darting inside or outside to challenge Gustin. It wasn’t until the race’s first caution flag in lap 73 that bunched up the field for a dazzling conclusion. Brown and Jeremy Payne used the restart to slide in front of Phillips. The duo nipped at Gustin’s wheels over the ensuing 25 laps, including
Photos by Dayton Sutterby
Ryan Gustin, above, led the last 75 laps Saturday to win the third annual USMTS King of America feature at Humboldt Speedway. Below, Ryan Golin takes the checkered flag, one of two USRA B-Modified feature races over the weekend. two more cautions and restarts. Brown’s last best chance came on lap 97, when he pulled alongside Gustin from the inside of the fourth and final turn. The pair raced side by side before Gustin crossed the line by a nose. He kept the momentum to regain a car length lead that he kept for the balance of the race. Gustin’s victory garnered him $10,000. Brown, of Spring, Texas, was second. Payne and Phillips, both of Springfield, Mo., rounded up the top four. Zack VanderBeek of New Sharon, Iowa, took fifth. Joey Jensen had one of the most exhilarating rides of the night. He finished fifth in one qualifying race and 11th in another to sneak into the “A” main feature in the 23rd spot. He snaked his way up into the top five before finishing in sixth. Several drivers of local note made their mark on the evening.
Iola’s Justin Folk took advantage of a pair of impressive qualifying races to start
at the front of Saturday’s “B” main feature. He was leading the pack — virtually ensuring
THE WEEKEND’S festivities included a pair of impressive showings by Fort Scott’s Brian Bolin in the USRA BMod feature series. Bolin led nearly from start to finish in feature race victories on both Friday and Saturday, earning $3,000 in the process. He led all 25 laps in Friday’s feature, then took the lead from defending B-Mod national champion Scott Drake of Joplin in lap 6 on Saturday. Drake held on for second, followed by Corey Crapser of Wisconsin. Dan Wheeler and Jacob Bleess, both of Minnesota, rounded out the top five. Thursday’s opening night winner, Kris Jackson, took home sixth. Jake Timm was seventh, Trevor Drake was eighth, Tim Van Gotten took ninth and Jason Schlangen took 10th. Olathe’s Terry Bruner gave the crowd a scare in the C main feature Saturday. He collided with another car and flipped onto his side in the front straightaway. Emergency crews pushed the car back onto its wheels, where Bruner emerged unscathed — shaken but not stirred.
Blowouts — and a Shocker — set Final 4 field By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer
ATLANTA (AP) — After a season of uncertainty, there’s a clear favorite heading to the Final Four. The Louisville Cardinals. While the other No. 1s have fallen by the wayside, the top overall seed romped to the Georgia Dome with four dominant wins in the NCAA tournament. And, if the Cardinals need any extra motivation, they’ve got it. Sophomore guard Kevin Ware, who played his high school ball in the Atlanta suburbs, sustained a gruesome injury in Sunday’s regional final against Duke. Before he headed off to surgery, he courageously urged his teammates to finish the job. Now, they would like nothing more than to win it all for Ware. “We talked about it every timeout, ‘Get Kevin home,’” coach Rick Pitino said. Next stop, the A-T-L, where three rather unlikely teams will be looking to knock off the mighty Cardinals. First up, the surprising Shockers from Wichita State in the semifinals Saturday. The No. 9 seed has already pulled off two major upsets, but this would be the biggest stunner yet. If Louisville makes it through to next Monday night’s title game, the opponent would be either Michigan, sporting a new group of Fab Wolverines, or Syracuse, which comes at you with the stingiest zone defense in college basketball. The two No. 4 seeds will meet in the other semifinal game. All are underdogs to the Cardinals, who are winning by an average of nearly 22 points a game in the tournament. “I thought we had a chance
Jaime Green/Wichita Eagle/MCT
Wichita State’s Carl Hall (22) and Fred Van Vleet (23) celebrate as the clock expires on a 70-66 win against Ohio Sate in the West Region Final of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. there, and then boom,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who watched Louisville pull away for an 85-63 victory in the Midwest Regional final. “That’s what they do to teams. They can boom you.” In the other game Sunday, Michigan captured the South Regional with a 79-59 rout of Florida, leading from the opening tip. A day earlier, Syracuse shut down Marquette 55-39 to win the East Regional, while Wichita State punched its Final Four ticket with a 70-66 upset of Ohio State out
West. In the final year of the Big East before it splits into two new conferences, Louisville and Syracuse provided a fitting send-off to a league that quickly became a basketball powerhouse after it was founded in 1979. Before it goes, this version of the Big East has a shot at one more national title. With two teams, no less. The Cardinals — who, like Syracuse, are moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference — shook off the incredible
shock of Ware’s injury with about 6½ minutes to go before halftime and blew out the second-seeded Blue Devils. The sophomore snapped his lower right leg after coming down awkwardly while defending a 3-point shot. The injury occurred right in front of the Louisville bench, where the players gasped and turned away quickly at the sight of Ware’s dangling leg, which was broken in two places. Russ Smith collapsed onto the floor, along with several players, and was crying as
doctors attended to Ware. While Ware was loaded onto a stretcher, the Cardinals gathered at midcourt until Pitino called them over, saying the injured player wanted to talk to them before he left. “All he kept saying — and remember, the bone is 6 inches out of his leg — all he’s yelling is, ‘Win the game! Win the game!’” Pitino said. “I’ve never seen that in my life. We’re all distraught and all he’s saying is, ‘Win the game.’ Kevin is See FINAL FOUR | Page B4